<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Old as the Wester Woods by Rainbow820</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738567">Old as the Wester Woods</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow820/pseuds/Rainbow820'>Rainbow820</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Geraskier Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Creature Jaskier | Dandelion, Day 2: Monster Hunt, Geraskier Week, Little bit of angst, M/M, Pre-Mountain Break up, Worried Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:36:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738567</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow820/pseuds/Rainbow820</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Geralt is traveling alone as Jaskier had gone off to win some competition in Vizima and best his rival. Geralt is fine on his own had been for decades before Jaskier it has been twenty years of traveling on and off with him the silence should not be deafening. When he finds a contract for a fairy in Vizima he sets out. </p><p>Normally fairies just wish to play a game and leave bored too easily to remain to harass the town. But it does give him an excuse to- not that he needs an excuse to see Jaskier. He is following a contract and if his bard is there then so be it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Geraskier Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>241</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Old as the Wester Woods</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Geralt rides towards Vizima the poster in Roach’s bag.</p><p>Fairies are unpredictable and sometimes violent. If it is a truly vindictive fairy likely chance Geralt won’t be able to stop it.</p><p>He’ll need iron not silver as well. He checks his bag when he stops to let Roach drink in a stream. An iron dagger for the fay every one knew that was all that would stop them. Often not enough to kill them because of their strength and speed having an iron dagger means nothing if Geralt can not touch the fairy.</p><p>With any luck, the fairy is there for the festival and feels miffed by their rude treatment. Usually, an apology can calm the pride-filled brats.</p><p>Unless someone broke a promise or was tricked into a deal they couldn’t keep in which case they’re fairy property.</p><p>Geralt resumes with Roach and reaches Vizima and rides straight to the mayor's house to figure out about the fairy.</p>
<hr/><p>“Come,” the mayor says and he looks angry.</p><p>Geralt enters the house and sees people gathering ready for a witch hunt.</p><p>“You said it was a fairy” Geralt grumbles.</p><p>“Yeah we caught wind some sirens and elves might be joining the competition and that’s not fair so we did a glamour hiding spell. Well Dandelion that prick thought his glamour was too good for us apparently” The mayor scowls.</p><p>“Jaskier” Geralt mumbles.</p><p>“You know him? Yeah, the bard's glamour fell. He looked horrifying dainty yellow little wings sharp enough to cut. Talons, and fangs, sharp blue eyes. You think you know a bard” the mayor says and Geralt nods.</p><p>For as long as Geralt has known him Jaskier has gone to this place. “Well he hasn’t changed since he was sixteen,” a woman says with deep laugh lines and graying hair.</p><p>“Should have guessed he was cheating” some people grumble and Geralt looks at their pitchforks made of iron and feels terrified.</p><p>They were going to hunt Jaskier down and they expected him to follow.</p><p>“Let me get him. Fairies are dangerous” Geralt warns them and they don’t seem too put out by having to stay behind.</p><p>Geralt still takes the iron dagger just in case they were wrong and it’s not Jaskier. Like he said fairies are dangerous and they like their games.</p>
<hr/><p>He takes to the forest without Roach who is at the stables. Fairies a fully grown trained fay would not be hiding they would have the town dancing at their feet until they got bored.</p><p>Jaskier grew up a human, a nobleman, and then a wanderer. He’ll be in a tree away from the monsters that prowl the ground.</p><p>High above and that is why Geralt has taken to calling him lark and songbird and, when they played Gwent, a nightingale. Clearly he felt instinctually safe higher above like any winged creature. Gods Jaskier won’t even know how to fly.</p><p>He breaths in trying to find his lark. He’d be able to pull him out of a field of dopplers.</p><p>He smells him before he hears him and it hits like spilled nectar. He wants to vomit. Jaskier always smells like under his perfumes the wood of his lute and buttercup flowers. Now he has that sickly fairy scent of dripping sugar like he’s bathed in it. He still smells like Jaskier but horrible.</p><p>But he hears sharp cries that wound his ears and sees yellow wings glittering in the sunlight.</p><p>Many thought fairies had feathered wings and sharp fangs but those were sirens who people confused for mermaids. He’s surprised the townspeople knew what Jaskier actually was.</p><p>Delicate as glass a fairy’s feather could cut like one as well. “Jaskier” Geralt calls and the bard shrieks in fear, hopping away in a flurry of movement.</p><p>Geralt was hoping Jaskier had actually just been lying to him this whole time but he saw how poorly he just moved.</p><p>He’s a changeling which means he has no idea what is happening. He probably just thinks Geralt is going to gut him and leave.</p><p>Geralt wouldn’t even if Jaskier had been turned into a monster. He’d cure him, save him, anything but kill him.</p><p>He knows where he’s going where all fairies try to run without knowing where they’re going. The wester woods, the only connection on this plane of existence.</p><p>No matter how far they have to run a fairy with go towards the wester woods to hide. The trees work for the fairies and the ones too weak to do magic are safe.</p><p>Geralt figures that’s why his parents put him with humans. Jaskier has no access to nature’s magic at all and for a fairy that is horrifying.</p><p>Jaskier loves flower and he collects them and frowns when they wilt on him. Any magically inclined fairy even one covered in glamour by simply touching a flower would bring it to full bloom and health.</p><p>He returns to the town and assured them the fairy is heading west and that they are safe. They hand him gold and say they left something on Roach for him.</p><p>He wants to shake them all and tell them not to mention it was Jaskier but he knows it’s too late. He saw the signpost and bards gossip. The continent will know Dandelion is a fairy. Geralt takes Roach and they ride west and he knows he won’t catch Jaskier until they find the forest.</p>
<hr/><p>Geralt feels the magic and the smell of nectar gods there are fairies everywhere. This feels all wrong as he tries to pick out Jaskier's scent and use his witcher sense to find scraps of cloth based on what the bard was wearing in Vizima. He is hunting the bard, no just tracking he won't hurt him. </p><p>He walks into the forest without Roach, the flowers can bite. She doesn’t need their poison. He walks forward and someone sighs.</p><p>“Look the unwanted is by the water wailing like a banshee.” A fairy with green wings that blend into the trees and skin dark as the tree bark. She’s a native to the forest.</p><p>“Why did you lot get rid of him,” Geralt asks.</p><p>“Well, his family the little yellow winged ones live very far southwest. In the sunshine where the fields of sunflowers face each other and the birds sing free and happy. He has no nature magic. Of course, they cast him out. Into a human family whereby all rights he would be fine. It’s usually the deformed ones they catch onto” She explains.</p><p>“Can he come with me?” Geralt asks.</p><p>“He is fay but he is no kin of mine,” she says as an answer.</p><p>Before he turns she continues to speak. “Jaskier or Dandelion is not unknown to us either. He is a value to us because of his fame he could make great strides for us” she grins and climbs down looking at his knife.</p><p>She makes it float and he goes cold. Fairies shouldn’t be able to touch iron.</p><p>“It’s the hilt you foolish Witcher made of wood. You need solid iron” she admonishes and drops it on the ground. “Go to him I will watch your blade” she orders pointing.</p><p>Geralt nods knowing better than to try and argue with a fairy. He’d be her slave before he knew it.</p><p>He walks carefully to the waters edge sensing eyes on him but he can hear Jaskier alright. The fairy’s yellow wings stand out and he walks closer meeting the bloodshot fear-filled eyes of his bard.</p><p>He holds his hands up heart twisting at the thought of hunting down Jaskier.</p><p>“Please don’t kill me. I can go to the sunflower fields down south and stay” Jaskier begins begging.</p><p>“They didn’t want you,” Geralt says and Jaskier flinches. “I do” he confesses before Jaskier can get any silly ideas otherwise.</p><p>“You don’t want to kill me” Jaskier whispers shocked.</p><p>“No” Geralt denies the idea of it putting bile in his mouth. He hates this. He steps forward and can hear Jaskier’s quick heartbeat.</p><p>“I didn’t know” Jaskier whispers.</p><p>“I know,” Geralt tells him holding his arms open. Jaskier falls into them tears staining his tunic.</p><p>“Did you know?” Jaskier asks shaking apart.</p><p>“No but I should have,” Geralt says and Jaskier looking up at him his eyes look so different more bird-like but still cornflower blue.</p><p>“Why,” Jaskier asks hands finding the medallion.</p><p>It did not go off for the oldest of creatures who’s innate beings were too similar to the original stems of humans. The high vampires, the fay, dopplers. They were too similar or powerful for the medallion to detect them. It doesn’t even burn Jaskier as he lays a hand over it.</p><p>Geralt pulls the hand away and curls his own fingers around the talons. “You have not aged a day in over twenty years Jaskier,” Geralt tells him.</p><p>“I thought I had a good skincare routine down” Jaskier laughs and it’s long and sharp just like the teeth now on display.</p><p>“You can’t put a glamour up” Geralt observes.</p><p>“How would I go about learning that,” Jaskier asks his tears drying. Easily moving on from his fear. A fairy indeed so easily distracted and amused.</p><p>“You can’t, you were cast out because of your lack of connection to nature. Like humans you simply coexist with it you are not one with it like the fay” Geralt shrugs and pulls him closer.</p><p>“Iron did you bring iron,” Jaskier says furrowing his brow.</p><p>“Not to you,” Geralt asks horrified and Jaskier lets out a growl bearing his teeth.</p><p>“I have sung enough about the fay to know they play tricks. What if I was not me and just a vindictive sprite who wanted to rip you to shreds” Jaskier scolds him a finger up as always but the sharp curve of a talon takes away some of the humor in it.</p><p>“A sprite is an apparition usually of a dead elf or fay. Sometimes particularly regretful nymphs” Geralt cuts in and Jaskier grins a little the sharp points of his teeth reminding Geralt they can’t have him like that.</p><p>“I know you hate her” Geralt begins.</p><p>“But let me guess she could help. Could I try asking the ones who’ve been glaring at him since I wandered into the woods? Which always smelt like overripe fruit to me” Jaskier shudders.</p><p>“Wester woods. Fairy woods just be glad you didn’t find your way into the fairy realm I couldn’t have found you again” Geralt explains.</p><p>“Would you have tried?” Jaskier wonders standing with Geralt.</p><p>“I would uproot everything in the forest to find you” Geralt proclaims and Jaskier flushes with heat.</p><p>“Oh,” he whispers giddy.</p><p>“Here,” the fairy who was at the front says tossing the iron to the ground a glove on her hand made of wound together leaves. She doesn’t look pleased.</p><p>Geralt pockets it out of sight and she holds up a silver necklace with a dandelion on the end and Jaskier puts it on.</p><p>“The catch” Geralt demands.</p><p>“Get out of the woods,” she tells him with a little quirk of her lips but Geralt feels the ground shifting, the trees creaking, the other fairies rustling, the water rippling faster, and the flower leaning closer.</p><p>He knows that means they’ve outstayed their welcome a well-placed swipe of those claws and Geralt is done for.</p><p>He leads Jaskier from the woods and looks him over. His hand looks normal and he gives a wide grin his teeth are larger.</p><p>By that Geralt means not thin slivers of knives with gaps in between to avoid large chunks of meat getting stuck.</p><p>Jaskier walks to Roach who nuzzles him and his wings are gone. So they made him a glamour spell.</p><p>Geralt does not trust it the fairies always do something for a reason. Always.</p><p>He looks at Jaskier again and pulls something from Roach.</p><p>“Oh,” Jaskier says fingers brushing over the lute he’d been forced to abandon.</p><p>“They gave it to me,” Geralt says and Jaskier’s eyes are going wet.</p><p>“They’ll try to have me burned if I ever show my face as a bard” Jaskier begins to weep.</p><p>Geralt is used to the hatred of humans. Jaskier could see a small glimpse when they call him a Witcher’s whore and throw rotten fruit at him as well as Geralt. They always seem to know better than to throw the rocks and weapons as the call him a whore and realize what it would mean if he actually was.</p><p>Geralt would kill for Jaskier because he is his friend and he is good and innocent. Not usually what people call fairies. At least not once they learn they’re fairies.</p><p>But Jaskier is really a changeling an unwanted. A non-magical fay cursed to be amongst the largest and strongest population of monsters, the humans.</p><p>“I won’t let them hurt you. They’ll love you again” Geralt promises and Jaskier looks up at him.</p><p>“How can you know that?” Jaskier demands and Geralt pulls him up on Roach and climbs up behind him.</p><p>“Because even when they curse you and threaten you for being by my side they ask you to sing and they fall at your feet,” Geralt says in his ear and Jaskier squirms feeling even warmer.</p><p>“They call me your whore already. I wonder what else they can come up with” Jaskier whispers sadly.</p><p>“Nothing creative if whore is the height of their insults” Geralt teases and Jaskier laughs softly.</p><p>“I wouldn’t mind not for you” Jaskier mumbles.</p><p>“Mind what?” Geralt asks as they leave the Wester Woods behind.</p><p>“Being your whore. Laying in bed waiting for you to ravish me” Jaskier grins and Geralt chuckles the idea of it shorting straight to his groin.</p><p>“You would hate it. You get bored so easily my lark. You would go find something or someone to do. You’re a bird of flight Jaskier I would never clip your wings” Geralt tells him. Jaskier reaches down and laces their hands together.</p><p>“Even the birds that soar the highest need somewhere to land” Jaskier whispers leaning back against his chest.</p><p>Geralt growls into his lark's ear and he has wondered if Jaskier was not a siren drawing him in.</p><p>“We should get to the town” Geralt mumbles against his lips seeing the sun start to set.</p><p>Jaskier nods fiddling with his necklace and they go to an inn and the people whisper about them but make no moves.</p><p>They also do not ask Jaskier to sing but his little lark needs to sleep so Geralt will be offended on his beloved’s behalf in the morning.</p><p>He does not need to be as Jaskier has won over the inn by the time he returns from feeding Roach.</p><p>Geralt sighs watching lovingly against the door as Jaskier swindles into dinner already gently teasing the idea of him being fay. Already pushing the new relationship he built. He really is a little fairy wanting of amusement.</p>
<hr/><p>A few years later when Geralt tries to run the bard off a swipe of sharp talons against his cheek and biting words and a couple of actual bites, reminds him that his bard is no lark, not really.</p><p>And so they stay together and go to collect Geralt’s child surprise and pluck the last rose of Cintra from the rotting garden.</p><p>Jaskier does eventually find the sunflower fields of his family to discover his fairy parents knew he would have no magic before he was born and made the arrangements to protect him with the Pankratz family who had a baby with magic.</p><p>An even swap in their eyes. Jaskier needs to hear nothing else and leaves to find his wolf and hears the pull of the woods in his ears but he lands wherever the wolf and the lion club rest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope everyone enjoyed this story and when I started writing it I really did not see it going that way but ah what are you going to do. Did I steal the title from a Grimm Brothers poem about changelings perhaps and were the wester woods completely derived from Zelda's western fairy woods who is to say. Super excited about tomorrow's prompt, I'll let you in on a little spoiler, it's based of the Witcher 2. Stay tuned.</p><p>Love, </p><p>Rainbow820</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>